Unable to get a handle on Joel Embiid except when they were getting their hands on the 76ers' center, the Heat fell 124-114 Monday night at AmericanAirlines Arena to close out a 1-3 homestand.

Embiid closed with 35 points and 18 rebounds, shooting 16 of 20 from the foul line, part of the reason Heat center Hassan Whiteside had to settle for a more mundane 13-point, 11-rebound double-double.

"I think that's the most frustrating part of anything," Whiteside said of his foul trouble.

Embiid had a contrasting view.

"I just went in there with the mentality to dominate," he said.

As they did in losses to the Indiana Pacers and Washington Wizards at the start of this three-game losing streak, the Heat remained competitive most of the way, this time led by the 22 points of Goran Dragic and 17 of Josh Richardson.

"It's definitely time to start looking in the mirror," Richardson said. "It shouldn't have gotten to this point, but it's definitely time to start cracking down and problem solving."

The reality, just as it was in the first round of last season's playoffs, is that the 76ers are competing on a higher plane -- and about to move to an even higher plan when Butler makes his debut Wednesday, his trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves finalized Monday.

"To inherit him, to absorb Jimmy into our culture and in that locker room, I am incredibly excited," 76ers coach Brett Brown said, "because what I do know is he cares and he competes."

The Heat met that part of the equation, with Wayne Ellington rimming out a 3-point attempt that could have drawn them within 113-110 with 3:43 to play, the 76ers taking over from there.

"Learn from this pain," Spoelstra said. "Pain and the experience of that pain can be a great teacher. I know everyone in that locker room is feeling that pain. We have been in a lot of these close games and we will find a way to get better."

Five degrees of Heat from Friday's game:

1. (Slightly) longer look: The last time the Heat played the 76ers, Whiteside was limited to 10:05. That was in Game 5 of the first round, a loss that ended the Heat's and Whiteside's injury-marred 2017-18 season.

This time, Whiteside exceeded that timeframe by the midpoint of the second period and would have been afforded considerably more time if not for foul trouble, competitive in his minutes against Embiid.

"It was tough. It's like that some nights. It's really out of my control," Whiteside said. "I just try to produce as much as I can while I was out there for the time I was out there."

Whiteside's effort included a 3-point conversion on his second shot of the game and later a defensive rebound that was followed by dribbling the length of the court and posting up for a short hook as part of his 5-for-5 start from the field.

But he forced to the bench with his third foul with 2:02 left in the first half and with his fourth just 1:12 into the second half. Embiid's first foul, by contrast, came with 2:49 left in the third period. Whiteside then was called for his fifth foul with 8:28 remaining.

He wound up playing 21:51 to Embiid's 35:40.

"Sometimes the calls go against you," Whiteside said. "It was just one of those nights I guess."

Photos from the Miami Heat's game against the Philadelphia 76ers at the AmericanAirlines Arena.

2. Turnovers down (early): After committing 24 and 19 turnovers, respectively, in the weekend losses to the Indiana Pacers and Washington Wizards, the Heat committed only three in Monday's first half.

It had stood as a point of emphasis in the 48 hours leading to Monday's game.

"Offensively," Spoelstra said, "we do have to execute with detail, precision, fundamentals and all of that. We'll continue to work on it until we get it."

The second half, however, was not as clean, with the Heat with 12 over the final two periods.

"I think we just started second guessing a little bit," Richardson said. "Whereas in the first half we were just flowing."

3. 15 the easy way: The Heat had a unique 15-0 run to start the second quarter, with a Richardson 3-pointer followed by an Ellington 3-pointer followed by a Kelly Olynyk 3-pointer followed by another Ellington 3-pointer.

The three-for-all appeared to end there when Tyler Johnson scored on a driving layup. But with Johnson fouled, he converted the ensuing free throw for 3-point play.

4. Richardson's threes: Richardson's four conversions were all 3-pointers, as he continues to thrive from deep.

"He's really worked at it, with this a natural evolution for Josh," Spoelstra said. "His rookie year, the second half of the year, he was the number-one three-point shooter in the league. Then scouting reports started to change on him and he had to develop a quicker shot on spot up and he started to gradually develop his 3-point shot on the move and then this summer he spent a great deal of time working on the pull-up."

5. Dragic back: After missing all seven of his shots in his first scoreless game as a member of the Heat on Saturday night, Dragic was up to 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting by Monday's intermission.

Dragic returned Saturday after missing the previous two games with a swollen right knee. He remains as essential as any player on the roster, his ballhandling especially essential in the injury absences of Dwyane Wade, James Johnson and Dion Waiters, as well as the utilization of Justise Winslow as the starting power forward.

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Erik Spoelstra on the Heat's zone defense.

Erik Spoelstra on the Heat's zone defense.

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Erik Spoelstra on the Heat's zone defense.

Erik Spoelstra on the Heat's zone defense.

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Dwyane Wade on Dion Waiters.

Dwyane Wade on Dion Waiters.

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Miami Heat guard Tyler Johnson on bringing the team's mentality on the road back home to AmericanAirlines Arena.

Miami Heat guard Tyler Johnson on bringing the team's mentality on the road back home to AmericanAirlines Arena.